President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he has “left instructions” that will result in Iran being “obliterated” if the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism assassinated him. The revelation comes after Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential election and after the Justice Department announced charges against an Iranian national who was allegedly involved in a plot to assassinate Trump.
Asked about assassination threats from Iran and its regional partners while signing an executive order in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters, “They haven’t done that, and that would be a terrible thing for them to do. Not because of me. If they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end.”
“I’ve left instructions,” Trump added. “If they do it, they get obliterated; there won’t be anything left. And they shouldn’t be able to do it.”
The 47th president also criticized former President Joe Biden for not issuing a strong threat against Iran amid reports that Iran was targeting Trump during the 2024 presidential election.
READ MORE: Video: Iran claims it ‘never’ tried assassinating Trump
“And Biden should have said that, but he never did,” Trump said. “I don’t know why- lack of intelligence, perhaps, but he never said it.”
Trump explained that if a leader or “close to a leader” was assassinated by a foreign government, “you would call for total obliteration of a state that did it,” including Iran.
According to Fox 56, Trump’s warning against Iran came after the president signed an executive order that allows him to use all possible tools to engage with Iran’s government in order to place additional pressure on Iran. Trump described the executive order as “very tough on Iran.”
“I’m going to sign it but hopefully we are not going to have to use it very much,” Trump told reporters. Fox 56 reported that Trump also noted that he wants to pursue a deal with Iran so everyone “can live together.”
In November, the U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges against Farhad Shakeri, an Iranian national involved in a plot to assassinate Trump before the 2024 presidential election. According to The Associated Press, Shakeri, who was allegedly tasked by Iranian officials with assassinating Trump, remains at-large in Iran.
However, prior to Trump’s inauguration last month, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed that Iran has “never” tried to assassinate Trump and that Iran “never will” plot his assassination.